Verbena plant named ‘Rap Pink Two’

ABSTRACT

A verbena cultivar particularly distinguished by pink colored flowers, vigorous growth and low trailing habit.

Genus and species: Verbena hybrida.

Variety denomination: ‘Rap Pink Two’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of verbena,botanically known as Verbena hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by thecultivar name ‘Rap Pink Two’. The new cultivar is asexually reproducedfrom vegetative cuttings and tissue culture resulting from the cross ofthe seed/pod parent 1206-3, a rose proprietary line that is unnamed andunpatented ×1194-2, a pink proprietary line that is unnamed andunpatented.

‘Rap Pink Two’ is a product of a planned breeding program intended tocreate new verbena cultivars with pink colored flowers, dark greenfoliage, vigorous growth and low trailing habit.

The new cultivar was created in 2001 in Gilroy, Calif. and has beenasexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissueculture in Gilroy, Calif., Andijk, The Netherlands and Guatemala over atwo year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif.,Litchfield, Mich. and Andijk, The Netherlands. The present invention hasbeen found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successivepropagations; and this novelty is firmly fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF PHOTOGRAPH

This new verbena plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographwhich shows blooms, buds, and foliage of the plant in full color, thecolors shown being as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventionalphotographic procedures.

The photograph shows the mature inflorescence.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctivecharacteristics of ‘Rap Pink Two’. The data, which defines thesecharacteristics, were collected from asexual reproductions carried outin Gilroy, Calif. The plant history was taken on 9 month old plantsgrown in one-gallon pots, in a double poly-greenhouse under naturallight and color readings were taken in the greenhouse under naturallights. Plants had been cut back numerous times prior to data readingsbeing taken. Color references are primarily to The R.H.S. Colour Chartof The Royal Horticultural Society of London (R.H.S.). Texturedescription details were observed under a dissecting microscopeaccording to The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening(1992).

THE PLANT

Classification:

Botanical.—Verbena hybrida.

Commercial.—Verbena.

Form: Low trailing, decumbent.

Growth and branching habit: Good vigorous habit, well-branched, fullplant.

Height: From soil level to top of blooms: Approximately 10-20 cm.

Width: Approximately 60-70 cm.

Time to produce a finished flowering plant: 11 weeks.

Outdoor plant performance: Full sun; Used as a hanging plant, in mixedcontainer planting, mass planting in a bed; some frost tolerance.

Time to initiate and develop roots: Approximately 4-10 days in thegreenhouse.

Root description: Fibrous, white.

THE LEAVES

Length: 3.5-5.0 cm.

Width: 2.5-3.5 cm.

Leaf blade shape: Ovate.

Leaf margin: Pinnatisect/incised.

Apex aspect: Acute.

Base aspect: Acuminate.

Leaf color: Upper surface — RHS 137A (green); Underside — RHS 138A(green).

Texture: Hirsute.

Venation: Palmate.

Venation color: RHS 144B (green).

Petiole length: 0.5-0.7 cm.

Petiole color: RHS 144B (green).

Petiole width: 0.1-0.15 cm.

Petiole texture: Hirsute.

THE STEM

Length: 50-55 cm.

Diameter: 0.2 cm.

Internodes length: 2.0-3.5 cm.

Color: RHS 138A (green).

Texture: Hirsute.

Stem anthocyanin: No.

THE BUD

Shape: Linear.

Diameter: 0.15 cm.

Length: 1.0-1.2 cm.

Color at tight bud: RHS 62A (red-purple).

THE FLOWER

Blooming habit: Continuous throughout the growing season.

Inflorescence type: Spike.

Spike diameter: Approximately 4.5-5.0 cm.

Spike depth: Approximately 2.0-3.0 cm.

Peduncle length: 4.0-5.0 cm.

Peduncle diameter: 1.5 cm.

Peduncle color: RHS 138A (green).

Peduncle texture: Hirsute with glandular hairs of a violet hue.

Flower color: Upper petal surface is little lighter than RHS N66C(red-purple); RHS 145D (yellow-green) small ‘eye spot’; Lower petalsurface is RHS 65A (red-purple).

Floret form: Salverform; sessile on spikes.

Floret (limb) diameter: Approximately 1.6-1.8 cm.

Corolla tube length: Approximately 1.7-1.8 cm.

Number florets per spike: 39-48.

Petal size: Length of one lobe — 0.7-0.8 cm; width of one lobe — 0.6-0.7cm.

Petal lobe shape: Obcordate.

Petal apex shape: Emarginated.

Petal base shape: Fused.

Petal margin: Entire.

Petal texture: Papillose.

Sepals: Five sepals whose margins are fused to each other along theirlength with a transparent membrane of less than 1 mm in width with onesmaller sepal (7 mm) attached to the base of the calyx.

Calyx length: Approximately 0.9-1.0 cm.

Calyx width: Approximately 0.15-0.2 cm.

Calyx shape: Oblong.

Calyx apex: Acute.

Calyx color: RHS 138A (green).

Calyx texture: Glandular hairs of a violet hue.

Lastingness of individual blooms: 5-7 days.

Fragrance: None.

THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

Stamens: Anthers and filaments fused to upper half of corolla tube; fouranthers with two pollen sacs per anther.

Pollen amount and color: Moderate, RHS 11D (yellow).

Pistil: One style approximately 1.5 cm.

Fruit seed set: Not observed.

DISEASE AND INSECT RESISTANCE

Tolerant to mildew.

COMPARISON WITH KNOWN CULTIVARS

Differs from its female parent 00-1206-3 in the following ways: Thefemale parent is later to flower, grows as a denser plant and is hotrose vs. pink.

Differs from its male parent 00-1194-2 in the following ways: The maleparent is a smaller plant that is more upright in growth and is later toflower.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of verbena plant as shown anddescribed herein.